Overview
With a projected $1.4 trillion in retail sales up for grabs and consumers shifting their spending, a hyper-focused, omnichannel strategy is no longer a "nice to have" - it's a must¹.
To capitalize on this opportunity, GroundTruth has identified that every successful holiday campaign is built upon the following 3 pillars.
The When: Key Holiday Dates
The holiday shopping period is defined by sharp shifts in consumer behavior, from the early slowdown before Black Friday to the peak traffic on the first Saturday of December.
- Pre-Black Friday Slowdown: The Monday before Black Friday historically sees the lowest foot traffic across major categories. Use this slowdown to launch special offers and steal competitor share early.
- November Tentpoles (Thanksgiving & Black Friday): The traditional “Cyber Five” has evolved into the “Turkey 12,” a longer holiday shopping period. Retailers are now beginning their peak season promotions a week before Thanksgiving, a trend solidified by Amazon’s early Black Friday sales.
- The Holiday Rush: The first Saturday of December sees the highest levels of foot traffic across all major categories for the entire holiday shopping season. Ensure your ads are seen by the right audiences at the right time to increase brand awareness, foot traffic, and product sales.
- December Tentpoles (Cyber Monday, Hanukkah, Christmas): These key events drive major consumer purchase activity. Plan to significantly amplify your campaigns across all channels in the days leading up to these holidays for maximum impact.
The Where: Top Visited Retailers
Despite inflation, consumers prioritized high-ticket purchases during large sales last year, with gift cards, clothing, and accessories leading the top gift categories. Understanding these past patterns is crucial for shaping successful festive campaigns:
- Top Visited Clothing Stores: Old Navy, H&M, and American Eagle
- Top Visited Retail: Target, Walmart, and Family Dollar
- Top Visited Luxury Stores: Bloomingdales, Gucci, and Tiffany & Co
- Top Visited Beauty Stores: Ulta, Bath & Body Works, and Sephora
The Who: Audience Affinities
Understanding the overlap between consumers visiting stores and their other behaviors is vital to reach them in key moments, enabling you to target audience segments more likely to engage in holiday shopping. For example, the following affinities represent behaviors commonly seen among visitors to both Retail and Department Stores:
- Retail: Fast Fashion Shoppers, Movie Goers, Children Shoppers, Spa Enthusiasts, Late Night Diners
- Department Stores: Jewelry Shoppers, Gamers, Swimmers, Golfers, Working Moms
Whether you’re looking for in-store visits, increased brand awareness, or amplified product sales, this guide will help you get ahead of the competition and make this season your merriest and brightest yet.
Tips & Trips
An Omnichannel Approach
Increase brand awareness, in-store visits, and product sales to your retail locations by combining all of GroundTruth’s channel offerings and dynamic creative capabilities. Campaigns that run on more than one channel are proven to yield more real business results as your message is amplified across the screens that consumers use the most.
- Mobile: Reach shoppers during multiple touch points during the holiday season.
- Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH): Allows brands to advertise in strategic physical locations where there may be a large influx of holiday consumers.
- Audio: Reach holiday shoppers while they are listening to their favorite podcasts, streaming radio, and more.
- Direct Mail: Personalize your messaging and offers around holiday themes to capture consumer attention.
- Desktop | Tablet: Stay top of mind throughout the buyer’s journey with reinforced messaging.
Recommended Holiday Strategies
| Strategy | Description |
|---|---|
| Competitive Conquesting | Target individuals who have visited a specific location, such as your competitor’s stores, and steal market share. |
| Retail Block Targeting | Drive demand of your featured products or services at an optimal time when we know the shopper is in your store or within the retail area of a specified location. This puts your products top of mind and reminds consumers to pick up items in-store. |
| Neighborhoods | Connect with consumers in geographical areas that have a high affinity for visiting your specific business location. This tactic allows you to target unique geographical areas that show high visitation frequency to an individual location across the country. |
| Behavioral Audiences Targeting | Reach holiday celebrants based on their visitation and demographic data, extending your message to audiences like Working Moms, Late Night Diners, Gamers, and more. |
Interested in learning more?
Download our full 2025 Holiday Strategy Guide HERE, which provides more in-depth actionable insights and tactics to drive real business results with hyper-focused omnichannel campaigns, including a spotlight on how Duke Cannon’s Mobile and CTV campaign spurred a 12% sales lift at Walmart during the holiday season.
For more support, reach out to your GroundTruth representative or selfservehelp@groundtruth.com.
Sources: ¹eMarketer
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